Diagnosing OSS

There is a problem in the operations support system space: After years of economic prosperity, the market has plateaued, causing service providers to re-evaluate their back-office systems and improve them for greater efficiency and revenue growth.

This has opened a niche for newer system integrators such as Foxfire Consulting and GuideComm Systems, which have developed services to ensure that the back office runs more smoothly after implementation.

Established for almost a year, relative newcomer Foxfire Consulting has created a post-implementation service called RxpOSSitive (“prescription positive”) that takes a “results-oriented” approach to identifying and resolving issues within the OSS. “[We] make a specific measurable improvement in [a carrier's] business performance where business processes and OSS collide,” said Jerry R. Batt, CEO of Foxfire.

The company partners with software providers to evaluate their OSS software and lets its service provider clients see what can be done before committing to further implementation.

Foxfire is a systems integration alliance partner with DSET, an interconnection gateway provider. The two are working together using RxpOSSitive to ensure that mutual customers' OSS integrations are problem-free. “Foxfire goes in to a customer, enhances the testing and ensures that everything the customer is asking for flows through the gateway,” said John Scheifele, director of strategic alliances for DSET.

Foxfire also has teamed with Daleen Technology to provide post-implementation services to the company's small and medium-sized service provider customers. “It fills a niche to allow our customers to run more smoothly,” said Jeff Lundberg, senior manager of professional services for Daleen.

RxpOSSitive grew from the efforts of Foxfire and its premier customer MetaSolv Software. MetaSolv initially contracted with Foxfire to develop its own post-implementation program called Operational Assessment, geared specifically to MetaSolv customers. Foxfire is an active partner with MetaSolv and assists with Operational Assessment services for MetaSolv customers. MetaSolv will launch the program for its customers this week.

MetaSolv realized that as a customer's business changes, “underlying processes need to occur within the organization to support the changes in their environment that also roll back to your OSS solution,” said Mathilde Inge, consulting manager for MetaSolv's consulting practice.

GuideComm Systems takes a slightly different approach to post implementation. In development for a little more than a year, OSS GuidePath is an optimization approach to solving system integration issues. It is a one- to two-month consultative process that creates an “action plan” to accomplish system integration, said A.J. Germek, co-founder and chief operating officer for GuideComm.

“We developed measurements that identify whether your systems strategies are tying to your business objectives,” said Germek.

The company used OSS GuidePath with providers such as Cable & Wireless, but has not officially announced relationships under this rubric, Germek said.

“It's the OSS that controls this [communications] equipment and you have to invest in it to get it right,” Germek said. “That's the stuff that drives the revenue and reduces the churn. It's not an afterthought. It's the thing that makes your system profitable.”

GuideComm also completes post-implementation work through its Off Ramp Post-Implementation services. These services help CLECs fully operate on their own. “We offer post-implementation support services where we will handle the system for them. Our intent is to help them for as long as they require, but not to force ourselves on them,” said Alan Gilbert, senior director of marketing for GuideComm.